"Natty Christmas", the grand-daddy of reggae Yuletide albums, is being re-released with a fresh look courtesy of the Inner Circle band. 

Scheduled for release next week, the special edition vinyl series comes in three colors --- red, green and gold. It contains the 11 songs Inner Circle and its flamboyant lead singer, Jacob Miller, recorded in 1978 at Channel One studio in Kingston. 

Each song is a reggae take on Christmas staples such as "Wish You A Merry Christmas" and "Silver Bells" . Most of the songs were done with toaster Ray I. 

Ian Lewis, bass player for Inner Circle, said "Natty Christmas" remains popular because the carols are done "Jacob Miller style". 

Miller, a unique vocalist who led the band on hits like "Tenament Yard" and "Standing Firm", died in an auto accident in March, 1980 at age 27. 

According to Inner Circle keyboardist, Bernard "Touter" Harvey, "Natty Christmas" set the pace for similar projects. 

"One must remember, we never took ourselves too serious while making the album. After the success of the initial release, the following year every production house had one," he said.

Written By Howard Campbell